Saturday, April 19, 2014

Worsted weight Boxy

A few weeks ago, I started experimenting with Malabrigo Rios, because I wanted to make a worsted weight version of one of my most popular patterns: Boxy.

Lots of people liked this pattern, but many knitters told me that they were afraid of that much knitting... So after a couple of years after I released the original version, I decided it was time to give it a go at the modified one.

What I remembered very well about Boxy was that it was crucial for the yarn to drape, otherwise it's just a big sweater, and not as flattering... I needed a yarn that could be blocked and stretched to a very loose gauge, and possibly, that wouldn't shrink back to it's original state afterwards.

Rios is a 100% Superwash merino yarn with a very soft twist, and I thought it would be perfect for it. It's available in a great variety of colors, it's quite inexpensive, and most importantly: I can buy it locally, which is very unusual.

The colorway I chose is called "Niebla", which means fog. It's a soft mix of grays, beige, yellow and even a tiny bit of purple, which create a very neutral looking hue, but more complex than most neutral toned yarns.

I made the whole prototype in less than a week. It was so much fun to make, as my Mom and I were working the back and front at the same time (1 piece each), and we were racing each other. It really is a very quick project, and the testers also were done in a very short time.

So gladly, the pattern was published very soon, so this can be your next transition weather staple (it is for me! only I am transitioning into winter)...

You can find it on Ravelry now! And if you have already purchased the original one through Rav, you can get this new one 50% off (no coupon code needed, you just put it in the cart and the discount will be automatic).